Voyage 361

Auroville: A world inside the world: A visionary concept inspiring thousands of youths out of the world brings them in here. The ride 25 mins away from Pondicherry got us into a new world in itself. The information Centre is a campus which gave us a clue on the community and introduction documentary about the place. Auroville Matrimandir Auroville Matrimandir: The Matrimandir is structured as an outcome dream of ‘The mother’. It is a Centre for the community both conceptually and spiritually. The Banyan tree very next to the Matrimandir marks the geographical center of Auroville.  Matrimandir & the Magical Banyan Tree, Auroville The Oblate Spheroidal shaped globe is supported by 4 main pillars, marking each entrance. The exterior is made of golden colored circular plates. First glimpses of Matrimandir This was an introductory visit to us as we been here for first time. We were told to buy passes from Information Centre to enter the inner chamber. The...

Pondicherry Heritage Walk: A hectic Wednesday winded up with exciting start for our travel. Packing our backpacks ended us with cuddling all the stories heard about the place. The place fulfills and gets us to bring back a rug sack of memories. Streetscapes of French Quarter, Pondicherry Our journey in Pondicherry started at the promenade, east coast of Bay of Bengal just before the sunrise. The glory of sunshine raised out of the sea to lighten our day. First sights of Sun rise through the Indian east-coast Fishing boats at the outset of Sun Pondicherry is a city with varied culture and thus marking territory on keeping history intact. The building pattern in the Tamil and French quarters of Pondicherry is an amalgamation of French and Indian architecture.  The storm water drain separates the French Quarter with the Tamil Quarter and stretches up to the east coast at Promenade. The peace-keeping and mutual understanding cultures were adorable. INTACH...

Beaches of Udupi: Clean shorelines of St Mary's Island, Udupi Though beaches are known for Goa in India, I found beaches in Udupi are worth a dip. About 400 km from Bangalore, Udupi can be reached in through many routes, the scenic route via Kudremukh, Sringeri or directly via Mangaluru. We took the Kudremukh route. The route from Sakleshpur till Sringeri is very scenic and passes through the Kudremukh National Park. Kudremukh National Park Sirimane falls was another splendid experience, but the road which leads to the falls is in a bad condition. It is about 13km from Sringeri, and the best time to visit is during Oct-Feb. The water here is very clean and is very safe to play in water. The falls see a lot of crowd and is not a deserted one. From the parking lot it is about 10 mins short trek through the well-paved steps. After enjoying the afternoon in the waterfalls, we started towards Sringeri Temple for an early evening darshana. Sringeri temple complex is locate...

Ranganathittu - A Birdwatcher's Paradise: A Painted Stork in flight at Ranganathittu It was spring season and definitely one of the best seasons for going out bird watching, we chose to drive to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary over Kokkare Bellur. Early morning drive on Bengaluru-Mysuru highway was as amazing as always it used to be. After relishing the divine sunrise on the highway, we reached Ranganathittu BS by 8.30am which is about 2.5km from the Highway. Sunrise at Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway We were one of the first tourists here, so had a peaceful time in adoring the Mother Nature. A mustering of storks along with Spoonbills Ranganathittu is a designated Bird Sanctuary preserved and maintained by the Forest Department of Karnataka State. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1940 after the ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali observed that the isles formed an important nesting ground for birds, and persuaded the Wodeyar kings of Mysore. Sight of the BS Every year thousan...